The Loom had settled, but the calm was deceptive. Neralyth stood in the Nexus, her wings folded behind her, staring at the glowing threads stretching into infinity. Each one represented a reality, a universe, a story unfolding across time and space. The threads she had touched—Earthland and the DC Multiverse—still pulsed with residual energy from the recent battle. But now, other threads began to flicker and twist, signaling fractures she could not ignore.
"Something else is happening," she muttered, brushing her fingers over a vibrating thread.
Chorath appeared beside her, his presence quiet yet heavy with concern. "The battle has left scars. The threads are more entangled now, and the energy is unstable. You've brought them together, but this union wasn't natural. It could unravel."
Neralyth glanced at him. "I didn't bring them together. The tears did. Something—or someone—is behind this."
Chorath frowned. "You think this is intentional?"
Before Neralyth could respond, the thread she touched flared with brilliant light. A new tear ripped open in the Nexus, spilling dark energy into the chamber. Neralyth stepped back, her wings snapping open defensively. From the tear emerged a figure she hadn't expected to see so soon.
The Appearance of Zeref
Dressed in his black and white robes, Zeref Dragneel stepped through the tear, his aura of death and despair filling the room. His red eyes locked onto Neralyth, and a small, melancholic smile crossed his face.
"So, this is the Loom," Zeref said, his voice calm yet heavy with centuries of sorrow. "The heart of existence. I've wondered about this place."
Neralyth raised her hand, flames from Natsu's Dragon Slayer magic sparking to life. "Zeref. You don't belong here."
Zeref tilted his head, unfazed by her hostility. "Neither do you. You're not a part of Earthland anymore, Neralyth. You've become something else—something caught between realms. I felt the shift when you touched our world."
"You have no right to be here," she said, her voice firm. "This place is beyond your reach."
Zeref chuckled softly. "Beyond my reach? You forget, I am cursed by Ankhseram. Death follows me wherever I go. Even the Loom cannot escape its touch."
The threads closest to Zeref began to dim and fray, the light seeping out of them as his curse spread. Neralyth acted quickly, summoning Lucy's celestial magic. The spirits appeared in bursts of light, their energy pushing back the encroaching darkness.
"You've meddled with enough lives," she said, her magic swirling around her. "I won't let you destroy the Loom."
Zeref's expression hardened. "You think you can stop me? You wield fragments of our world's power, but you don't understand its true nature. You've taken what doesn't belong to you, Guardian."
The Clash of Realms
The chamber erupted into chaos as Neralyth and Zeref clashed. His death magic surged forward in waves, blackening the threads around them. Neralyth countered with celestial spells, calling on the spirits to shield the Loom from his curse.
"I don't need to understand everything," she shouted, summoning the power of Erza Scarlet's Requip magic. Her form shifted, armor materializing around her as she charged Zeref head-on. "I just need to protect what matters."
Zeref dodged her strike effortlessly, his movements smooth and calculated. "You think you can fight me with borrowed strength? You're a fool."
He retaliated, his magic tearing through the chamber like a storm. Neralyth gritted her teeth, calling on Natsu's fire and Gray's ice to counter his attacks. Flames and frost collided with death, the clash sending shockwaves through the Nexus.
The threads trembled under the strain, and Neralyth realized she couldn't win this fight by force alone. She needed to outthink him.
"Why are you here, Zeref?" she asked, stepping back to create distance. "What do you hope to gain?"
Zeref's expression softened, and for a moment, she saw the man beneath the curse—the brother who had suffered for centuries. "I came because I sensed the tears. I thought I might find a way to end this endless existence. But now I see... this place is no salvation. It's another prison."
"You don't have to destroy it," Neralyth said cautiously. "We can fix this together. There's still a way to make things right."
Zeref shook his head. "You don't understand the weight of eternity. You think you can hold all these threads together, but you're only prolonging the inevitable. Everything unravels in the end."
An Unlikely Ally
Before Zeref could continue, another tear opened, and Neralyth's heart sank. From it emerged Lex Luthor, his armor gleaming with alien technology, flanked by Parademons that swarmed into the Nexus.
"Fascinating," Lex said, his eyes scanning the chamber. "So, this is where it all begins. The center of everything."
Neralyth and Zeref both turned toward him, their mutual animosity momentarily set aside. Zeref frowned, his aura darkening. "Who is this?"
"A parasite," Neralyth muttered, summoning her magic once more. "And far more dangerous than he seems."
Lex smiled coldly. "Dangerous? I'm just a man with ambition. And right now, my ambition is to claim this Loom for myself."
The Parademons charged, their shrieks echoing through the chamber. Neralyth and Zeref exchanged a glance, an unspoken agreement passing between them. For now, they had a common enemy.
"I'll deal with him," Neralyth said, flames igniting in her palms. "Keep the Loom intact."
Zeref hesitated, then nodded. "Don't make me regret this."
Together, they fought against Lex and his forces, their combined power overwhelming the Parademons. But as the battle raged on, Neralyth couldn't shake the feeling that this was only the beginning. The threads were unraveling faster now, and she could feel the weight of the Loom pressing down on her.
The Loom Fractures
When the battle ended, Lex was forced back into his universe, but the damage was done. Several threads had snapped, their light extinguished. Neralyth stood in the aftermath, her body trembling from exhaustion.
Zeref approached her, his expression unreadable. "You're trying to hold something together that wasn't meant to last. The Loom is breaking because it's connected to too much now."
"Then I'll keep fighting," she said, her voice firm. "I'll find a way to weave the threads back together."
Zeref shook his head. "You can't save them all. But... perhaps you can delay the collapse."
With that, he turned and walked toward the edge of the Nexus, disappearing into the shadows. Neralyth watched him go, uncertain whether he would return as an ally or an enemy.
As she looked at the broken threads around her, she felt a pang of doubt. The Loom was fragile, and the worlds it connected were more chaotic than ever. But she couldn't give up. Not yet.